Education

Lancaster County schools are in for a busy year, with several major construction projects starting and the surprise retirement of Superintendent Gene Moore, who will leave July 31.
Dr. Moore announced his retirement Tuesday. The school board hopes to have his successor hired by July 1, the start of the new academic year, said David Knight, the district’s public information director.
Moore, who has led the school district for 11 years, is the county’s fifth and longest-serving appointed superintendent.

A domestic disturbance near two Lancaster schools Tuesday morning resulted in brief campus lockdowns after a suspect fled toward school grounds carrying a gun.
Dillon Dean Dix, 22, was arrested between Brooklyn Springs Elementary and South Middle School around 9 a.m. following a nearly six-hour dispute with an ex-girlfriend, according to a Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office report.
The sheriff’s office notified both schools after Dix ran out of a home on Fleetwood Drive and headed toward the schools.

This fall, Junior Achievement and JROTC from Buford High and Lancaster High schools partnered for a community service project. Buford High cadets taught kindergarten classes at Buford Elementary, and cadets from Lancaster High School taught kindergarten JA classes at North Elementary.

Filing ended Tuesday for the Lancaster County school board District 1 seat, and with just one candidate filing, the district might be able to avoid a special election and save the $6,000 it would cost.
Melvin Stroble, who ran for the seat and lost in 2014, filed last Wednesday.
The decision about a special election will come at noon Jan. 17, after the 14-day period during which write-in candidates can still file, said Mary Ann Hudson, director of the Lancaster County Voter Registration and Elections Office.

Construction at Indian Land Middle School is in the final stages, with only lockers and desks left to install and punch-list items to check off.
Since January, contractors have been working to expand the cafeteria to now seat 400 students and to build two administrative offices and 16 additional classrooms.
David Small, Lancaster County School District facilities director, said crews should have all construction completed by the end of the holiday break so the new facilities will be ready to use when students and staff return at the start of the year.

Lancaster County school board members voted this month to approve a dual enrollment program with York Technical College, and are aiming to begin classes at the start of the 2016-17 academic year at the Indian Land campus.
York Tech’s associate dean for arts and sciences John McGill and associate dean for business and information technology James Thomas presented program details to the board this month.

The Lancaster County School District has received a $164,000 grant from the S.C. Education Oversight Committee that will strengthen the 4-year-old kindergarten program at Clinton Elementary and start a Baby College to help even younger kids and their parents.
Lancaster is one of 15 school districts in the state to get awards from the S.C. Community Block Grant for Education Pilot Program. The money will fund six initiatives across the state designed to improve or expand 4K programs.